Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
110
35-day dry-aged New York strip, bone-in rib-eye, flatiron steak, or porterhouse? Have it
prepared with a foie gras butter , tri-peppercorn rub, chef 's special J-1 sauce, or cr eamy
horseradish? (Personally I think it's uncouth to flav or a prime cut of dr y-aged beef with
anything but salt and pepper.) Sides are purchased separately, the most popular being the
homemade crispy fries, macaroni and cheese, and roasted garlic whipped potatoes. As for
an appetizer, there's a Jumbo Lump crab cake with heart of palm salad and Cajun rémou-
lade. For a pick-me-up dessert, try the refreshing blackberry crush cocktail, a
mojito
-like
mixture made with fresh fruit and top-shelf vodka.
Note:
The original West Hollywood
Boa Steakhouse moved to fancy ne w Sunset Strip digs in 2009 (9200 W. Sunset Blvd;
&
323/650-8383
).
101 Santa Monica Blvd. (at Ocean Ave.), Santa Monica.
&
310/899-4466.
www.boasteak.com. Reserva-
tions recommended. Main courses $25-$39. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11:30am-11:30pm; Sun 11am-
11pm. Valet parking $7.
Cafe Del Rey
CALIFORNIAN Cafe Del Rey is one of those liv ely restaurants
where everyone seems to be celebrating something on the company's tab. There's a terrific
view of the marina 's bobbing sailboats, par ticularly in the summer when the windo ws
facing the harbor ar e open, cr eating an indoor-outdoor dining ar ea. The exhibition
kitchen focuses on cr eative preparations of fresh and seasonal foods, but the choices ar e
so varied that it's impossible to accurately categoriz e the cafe's cuisine. Sure bets are the
Colorado lamb shank pr epared
osso buco
-style with cr eamy polenta, the boar bacon-
wrapped filet mignon in cabernet sauce, and the fish du jour. The
Wine Spectator-
award-
winning wine list offers mor e than 340 selections.
My advice:
Request a table b y the
window, ask your server what's good today, pair it with a nice bottle of wine, and enjo y
a long, leisurely meal.
4451 Admiralty Way (btw. Lincoln and Washington boulevards), Marina del Rey.
&
310/823-6395.
www.
cafedelreymarina.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses dinner $21-$37, lunch $11-$20. AE,
DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm and 5:30-9:30pm (until 10pm F ri); Sat 11:30am-2:30pm and
5:30-10pm; Sun 10:30am-2:30pm and 5-9:30pm. Valet parking free for lunch, $4 for dinner.
Chinois on Main
FUSION Wolfgang P uck's F ranco-Chinese eater y bustles
nightly with locals and visitors wo wed b y the r estaurant's r eputation and rar ely disap-
pointed by the food. G roundbreaking in its time, the r estaurant still r elies on the quir ky
East-meets-West mélange of ingr edients and technique. The menu is almost equally split
between Chinois's signature dishes and seasonal creations. The most famous of the former
are Cantonese duck in a sw eet-tangy plum sauce, and farm-raised whole catfish that 's per-
fectly deep-fried and dramatically presented. Terrific newer dishes include grilled Maine sea
scallops on a bed of garlic spinach, and braised shor t ribs with sw eet sake soy glaze served
over potato purée. Try the trio of cr ème brûlées for dessert. The dining room is as visually
colorful as it is acoustically loud. Jackets and ties are requested but not required.
Tip:
If you
like fiery cooking demonstrations, ask for a seat at the kitchen counter .
2709 Main St. (south of Pico Blvd.), Santa Monica.
&
310/392-9025.
www.wolfgangpuck.com. Reserva-
tions required. Main courses $23-$43. AE, DC, MC, V. Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30am-2pm; dinner M on-Thurs
6-10pm, Fri-Sat 6-10:30pm, Sun 5:30-10pm. Valet parking $6.
6
Encounter at LAX
CALIFORNIAN There has always been a restaurant in the spacey
Theme Building (ca. 1961) per ched in L AX's midst, but these days it draws as many
Angelenos as fly-by travelers. The reason? A full makeover transforming the staid Conti-
nental dining room (whose best featur e was a panoramic vie w over the runways) into a
1960s
Star Trek
set gone Technicolor. Outer-space lounge music dominates the entir e
